WASHINGTON- The first of two U.S. Navy ships that'll patrol the Black Sea near the Sochi, Russia Winter Olympic Games is headed in that direction.

The USS Mount Whitney left Gaeta, Italy Friday and the USS Taylor leaves Naples, Italy on Saturday. The ships are deploying to the Black Sea as normal military planning and could perform any required missions, like communications or evacuations.

Russia and the U.S. have discussed Olympic security threats. The U.S. has offered help but no specific assistance was requested by the Russians.